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(No Model.) v 7 Sheets-Sheet 2.

L. E. SMITH. CAN FILLING MACHINE.

WITNESSES"- Zangi N. PETERS. Phpwumn u mn Washington, D c.

( Iio Model.) 7 Sheets-Sheet 3. L. H. SMITH.

CAN FILLING MACHINE. No. 280,684. Patented July 3, 1883.

WITNESSES" INVENTORI N, PEYEIIS. PhntvLflhngnpher. Wuhingion. D. Q

(No Model.) 7 sheets-sheet 4 L. H. SMITH.

GAN FILLING MAGHINE. No. 280,684. Patented July 3, 1883.

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\ [NVENTQRR 7 hets-Sheet 5.

( o Model.)

H. SMITH. (JAN FILLING MA P I lined y 8, 1883.

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W1 I m/E5525 (No Model.) 7 Sheets-Sheet 6.

L. H. SMITH.

GAN FILLING MACHINE.

Patented July 3, 1883.

7/////////////////////Alllll' Ll J WINESSES [NI/ENZOR 64W W I FM, fi MW UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

L. HENRY SMITH, OF SALEM, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THOMAS B. STARR, OF SAME PLACE.

CAN-FILLING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATIONfOrming part of Letters Patent No. 280,684, dated July 3, 1883.

Application filed May 7, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, L. HENRY SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Salem, Salem county, New Jersey, have invented certain Improvements in Can Filling Machines, of which the following is a specificati on.

My invention relates to certain improve.

ments in machinery forfilling cans with fruit orvegetables, the object of my invention being to provide automatic mechanism for conveying the cans rapidly and with certainty to and from the charging devices, for preventing the operation of the charging devices unless a can is in position to be filled, and for performing the operation of topping, or removing the contents of the can from contact with the top of the same around the edge of the mouth to prevent chilling of the solder by which the cap is secured.

.111 the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a view, partly in elevation and partly in section, of my improved can-filling machine; Fig. 2, Sheet 2, a sectional plan view of the machine on the line 1 2, Fig. 1; Figs. 3 to 15,- inclusive, Sheets 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, detached views of parts of the machine, Figs. 9, 10,11, 13, 14 andv 15 being on an enlarged scale; and Fig. 16, Sheet 7, a view illustrating a modification of part of my invention.

A is the main table or bed of the machine, provided with suitable bearings or supports for the main shaft B, the reservoir D, the valvebox E, the can-carrier F, the feed-trough G, the discharge-trough H, the guide-trough, the topping devices, and the various levers, arms, shafts, or rods of the machine, as described hereinafter.

On the main shaft B is a friction-clutch, a, a crank, 12, cams d, e, f, g, h, i, m, and a, and a bevel-wheel, p, and 011 the driving-shaft J is a cam, is. The crank b is connected by a link,

I), to one arm of a lever, I), the other arm of which is connected by links b and a cross-bar,

b, to the stem If of a plunger, D, adapted to a tube, D in the upper portion of the reservoir D, above and in line with the funnel or spout D of the same, the plunger being also guided by vertical bars I), secured to the 0p posite sides of the reservoir D, and having flanges adapted to grooves in end plates, b of the cross-head b. (See'Figs. l and 4.)

The tube D has at the top a flange, D, confined between nuts I)" 011 threaded rods I)", carried by a cross-bar, D, of the reservoir, so that by adjusting said nuts the tube D can be raised or lowered, so as to increase or diminish the size of the annular space between the lower end of the same and the hopper, as it is desired to regulate the fiow through the same from the reservoir to the spout D. The plunger D is also adjustable, so as to regulate the extent to which said plunger is depressed, this adjustment being effected by means of nuts I), adapted to the threaded stem 1) of the plunger, and arranged on opposite sides of the cross-bar b The cams d and c serve to effect a positive but intermittent movement'of the can-carrier F by means of the devices shown in Figs. 2

and 5. The cam (1 acts upon a roller on an arm, (1, which is kept under the influence of the cam by a spring, (1 and is connected by a rod, (1", to a crank, (l', onashaft, F, which has a pinion, F, gearing into a bevel-wheel, F, secured to the caircarrier, the latter being free toturn on a vertical spindle, K, on the table A. On the shaft F is another crank, 0", set at right angles to the crank d", and connected by a rod, 0, to an arm, 6, acted upon by the cam c and a spring, 0

The cam eis set slightly in advance of the Cam (I, as shown in Fig. 5, and the cams are so SlX in the present instance, and thebevel-wheel F and pinion F are so proportioned that each operation of the carrier F will be to the extent of one-sixth of a revolution, and the recesses F" will be brought in succession opposite the feed-trough G- under the fillingspout D, and under the topping devices, these parts being arranged at the proper distance apart. More or less than six recesses may be formed in the carrier; but six is believed to be the most de sirable number, and is preferred.

The cans X may be fed into the trough G by hand, or by means of an endless belt or apron, G, at the outer end of the same.

\Vhen a recess, F, of the carrier is brought opposite the end oithe trough G, a can, X, is thrust forwardinto the recess, fingers/ 1 at the end of the trough yielding to permit the pas sage of the can between them, and then,owing to the action of the push-springs ;,closing on the can so as to hold it in the recess until the carrier moves forward, the finger g yielding to permit the passage of the can into the guid ing-trough, which consists of the table A, a segmental flange, I, and a segmental plate, 1', the cans resting on the table, and being preyented from moving radially by the flange l, and the plate 1 serving as a support for the filling and topping devices.

The trough G is pivoted at the rear end, so that it is free to swing in the direction of the arrow in ase acan has not been moved fully into the recess of the carrier, and the flange I has a pivoted port-ion,1-', also adapted to yield when the can comes into contact with the end of the same, a pull-spring, G serving to retract the trough G, and a push-spring, I, restoring the pivoted flange l. to its proper position after the passage of the can.

In order to prevent any operation of the ma chine unless a can has been delivered to the carrier and adjusted by the same beneath the fillingspout D, I use the stop mechanism shown in Figs. 2 and 6.

A rod, f, is guided in line with the trough G, and preferably just above the carrier F, this rod being acted upon by a spring, 1, which tends to thrust it outward, and being connected at the inner end to one arm of a lever, f, another arm on which is acted on by the camf, while a third arm is connected by rods f, and a bell-crank lever, f, to an arm, f, on a rock-shaft, f carrying a pawl, f,

which is adapted to engage with a notch in.

one arm of a lever, a, the latter being connected by a rod, (1?, and arm a" to the shaft (1 of the shipper (1, whereby the friction-clutch is thrown into or out of gear. Another arm,

f, on the rock-shaftf is connected by a rod, f", to a pawl, 7:, adapted to a notch in the other arm of the lever u, and carried by an arm, 7;", which is hung to the fulcrum-pin of the lever, and is acted upon by the cam 7; on the drivingshaft J.

The rodf is held by the cam f, Fig. 8, in the retracted position shown in Fig. 2 while the carrier is in motion, and for a short time after the carrier has been adjusted for receiving a can from the trough G, so that said rod does not ofl'er any resistance to the free pas sage of a can into the recess F of the canrier.

XVhen the parts arein this positiomt-hc clutch (t is in gear, and the lever c is locked in the position shown in Fig. 6 by means of the pawl f, the movement of the pawl 76 having no clfect- 011 the lever. Before the carrier commences to move, the leverf" is released from the control of the cam If a canhas entered the recess F of the carrier, the rodf will be held thereby in the retracted position shown until it is again brought under the influence of the camf; but if no can has been applied to the carrier the rod f under control of the spring f will be thrust outward, thereby, through the medium of the devices shown, retracting the pawl f from the lever a and permitting such a movement of the clutch as will .release the shaft B from the driving-shait J, this movement being due to the tendency of the clutch to separate when released from pressure, or being assisted, if desired, by a spring or weight. The same movement ofthe rock-shaftj", acting through the medium of the arm f and rodf threw the pawl k out of gear with the lever a, so that as long as the 'rodf is permitted to remain projected said pawl can have no influence on the lever. (See Fig. 7.) As soon, however, as a can is inserted into the recess F of the carrier, the rodf is again retracted, the pawl It is drawn into gear with the lever a, and the latter is shifted, so as to throw the clutch into gear, the pawl/' locking the lever in position, as before. As the rock-shaftf is operated before the notch of the lever is brought into line with the pawl f, the latter must be free to yield under control of a spring to permit such movement.

I control the flow from the spout 1) into the can by means of a valve, 9 consisting of a segmental plate having a suitable opening, and connected to one arm of a bell-crank lever, g, hung to the spindle K, the other arm of the lever being acted upon by the cams r and 7:, through the medium of a rod, y", and what may be termed a V-shaped lever, the same comprising a rock-shaft, g", and two arms, and h, a roller on the arm 1f being acted upon by the cam 1 and a similar roller on the arm 11 being acted on by the cam 71.

The cams g and hare constructed to act in unison with each other, so that a positive move ment in both directions is imparted to the valve 1/. A. single arm, cam, and spring may be used in place of this device; but the latter is preferred on account of the greater certainty of its action.

The roller on the arm h, may, if desired, be adjustable to compensate for wear.

The valve is adapted to slide between two plates, h and It, (see Figs. 9 and 10,) these plates having rims h coinciding with the open ing in the valve, and when the latter is open, as shown in Fig. 9, forming apassage from the spout D to the month of the can. A. tight joint is formed between the top of the can and a leather or other suitable washer, 1r, secured to the plate h, the can, after being adjusted by the earriei. to the proper position beneath the plate, being elevated by means of the cam z,

. the latter acting through the medium of a lespout.

- the can, a-passage, h, is formed between the plates h llthis passage communicating with the interior of the can through ports h in the plate h and terminating in a discharge-spout, h (See Fig. 2.)

I The topping device is shown in Figs. 2, 12, 13, 14, and .15, and consists of a plug, m, adapted to'the mouth of the can andcarried by a shaft, M, which is free to slide'in a bearing, M, on the frame, the shaft being reciprocated by the cam at through the medium of the lever m and sleeve m. The shaft m is rotated from the shaft 13 by means of the bevelwheel 12, pinion p, shaft 19 pulleys 1') and p,

' and belt 1), and rotating with the shaft, but

free to slide thereon, is a sleeve, n, operated by a lever, a which is acted on by the cam n. The sleeve n is connected by a link, a, to a bell-crank lever, 92*, hung to the plug on, and connected to a finger, a, which slides on the bottom of the plug, and can be moved in and out radially through a slot in the same. When the can is moved under the topping device, the plug mis elevated and the finger retracted; but as soon as the can is in position the plug is caused to descend and enter the mouth of the same, and the finger is then projected, so that as the plug rotates said finger will sweep around close to the top of the can, and thus remove the contents of the can from contact with the inner side of the grooved edge of the mouth, so that when the cap is afterward applied the solder will not be chilled.

Instead of adjusting the shaftm vertically to carry the plug 122/ and its finger into and out of the mouth of the can, the latter may have sufficient vertical movement for the purpose imparted to it, and the shaft m may be vertically fixed. The construction shown is, however, preferred. On the retraction of the fin ger n the plug m is free to be removed from the mouth of the can, and the latter is carried along to the discharge-trough H. This discharge-trougl1 is arranged tangentially to the carrier, as shown in Fig. 2, the cans resting 011 the table A, and being contained between the opposite flanges N N, the inner of which projects over the carrier, so that as the latter ro-' tates the can will be brought under the influence of saidfiange, and, owing to the angle of the same, will be moved out of the recess F and into the trough, pushing ahead of it the cans in advance.

A rotating carrier is not absolutely essential to my invention, as a vibrating carrier may be used in some casesfor instance, a vi-- brating arm may receive a can from the feed- -trough, the latter delivering the can directly beneath the feed-spout, and after the can isfilled the vibrating arm may carry it beneath the topping device, and then be retracted, a

second vibrating arm conveying the can from the topping device to the discharge-trough. Neither is the'eXact form of topping device shown in Sheet 6 essential to my invention fied form of this device, in which arotating shaft, P, carries a lever, P, with a clearingfinger, H at its lower end, the long arm of this lever being held at an angle in respect to the shaft by a spring, P acting on the short arm of said lever. The shaft is rotated by a belt, and has a tendency to remain elevated,

- for instance, in Sheet 7 I have shown a modiowing to the action of a weighted lever, S.

On the lever is a sleeve, T, which can be grasped by an attendant, so that the lever canbe first moved into line with the shaft, and the lever and shaft then depressed, so as to bring the finger within the mouth of the can, the lever being then released, so that the finger will project beneath the edge of the mouth and clear away the contents of the can from contact with the same, the lever and shaft rising as soon as ,the lever has been so moved that the finger is free from engagement with the top of the can.

By providing the feed and discharge troughs with suitable conveying-belts the apparatus can be made perfectly automatic in its action, and the cans can be filled and topped much faster than with the hand-machines at present in use.

I claim as my invention- 1. A can-filling machine in which a filling spout, a can-carrier, and a valve for controlling the flow from. the spout are combined with mechanism, substantially as described, for actuating the valve and carrier.

2. A can-filling machine in which a valved filling-spout and a topping device arranged in. respect to each other, as described, are combined with a carrier, whereby the cans are conveyed from the filling to the topping device, as set forth.

IIO

3. The combination of a vibrating or rccip- 4. The combination of the rotating carrier,

the feed and discharge troughs G and H, and the intermediate segmental guide-trough, as set forth.

5. The combination of the rotating can-carrier, the radial feed-trough G, and tangential discharge-trough H, as set forth.

6. The combination of the rotary can-earrier and devices forintermittently operating the same with the feed-trough, filling-spout, topping device, and discharge-trough, allarranged inrespect to each other and to the rotarycarrier as described. 7. The combination of the reservoir D, hav ing a cylindrical tube,D a guided bar, and a plunger, D, adjustable in respect to the bar, and adapted to fit snugly to the tube D*, with mechanism for reciprocating the guided bar and its plunger, as set forth.

8. The combination of the reservoir, the plunger, the cross-bar carrying the plunger, mechanism for reciprocating the cross-bar, and guides for the latter outside of the reservoir, as set forth.

9. The combination of the rotary can-carrier and its bevel-wheel F with the shaft F, having piliioirF" and cranks (Z' and e", the cams (Z and e, and mechanism whereby the cranks are operated by the cams, as set forth.

10. The combination of the carrier having recesses for the cans, the feed-trough G, and the feed-belt G, as set forth.

1].. The combination of the carrier having recesses for the cans with the feed-trough hav ing spring-fingers y, as specified.

12. The combination of the carrier having recesses for the cans with the feed-trough pivoted so as to swing laterally, as set forth.

13. The combination of the carrier having recesses for the cans with the guide-trough having a pivoted fiange, l'-, at the entrance, as set forth.

ll. The combination of the main shaft 13 of the machine, the driving-shaft J, and a clutch connecting the two with clutch operating mechanism, and with a rod or finger, f, connected thereto, and projecting into the space into which the can is fed, whereby the machine will be thrown out of gear in the event of the cans not being properly fed'thereto, as set forth.

The combination of the shafts B and J', the clutch and its actuating mechanism, the rod f, and a cam for retaining the latter in a retracted position durin a portion of each rev olution of the shaft B, as set forth.

16. The combination of the shafts l3 and J', the clutch (l, the lever 11, connected thereto, the

locking-pawl f", the rod f, and devices connecting the rod and pawl, set forth.

1?. The combination of the shafts l3 and .T, the clutch a, the lever a, connected thereto, the pawlf, the arm it", having a pawl, k, the cam 7: 011 the shaft J, the fingerf, and devices eon necting the finger and the pawls f and 7.1 for simultaneous operation, as set forth.

The combination of the sliding valve g with the valve-box having a passage, 11, and ports 71 as set forth.

ill). The combination of the valve y with the valve box having plates 71" and 71' with ribs h, as set forth.

20. The combination of the valve, the valvebox having a packing-ring, If, the plunger i forming a can-rest, and mechanism for raising and lowering said plunger, as set forth.

21. A can-topping device comprising a rotating shalt and a finger, a", adjustable laterally in respect to the shaft, as set forth.

22. A can-topping device comprising a retating shaft, which is free to move vertically, and a linger, a, adjustable laterally in respect to the shaft, as set forth.

:23. The combination of the shalt m and its plug m, the sliding finger a, carried by the plug, and means for radially shifting the finger, as set forth.

24. The combination of the valve 1/ and its lever with an actuating device comprising the two cams g and It and the lever g II, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this s iiecification in the presence of two subs iaibing witnesses.

L. HENRY SMITH.

\Vitnesses:

HA anv L. Asn lcxnmxr I; n, Haunv SMITH. 

